They were sitting at the terrace on the top of Shinra castle, at the very edge, letting their legs hang.
"I wrote a poem to Rude once." Reno said, trying to hit the guard on the terrace of the lower level with a peanut. Akane pretended she wasn't with him when the man turned back, swearing.
"You wrote a… To Rude? For real?"
"Roses are red" Reno starts recitate "violets are blue, you drank my beer so you owe me two."
She laughed and something that was bothering him for a while found its way out.
"You wanna go on a real date?"
Her big turquoise eyes became even bigger.
"A date?"
"Yeah, I mean, whatever other couples do, restaurant, flowers…"
He suddenly felt like an idiot.
"No." Akane turned back forward and it was her turn to aim at the guard.
"You don't?"
" This is not your thing, Reno, I don't want to make you feel… Well, not you." she said when she couldn't find the right word. "If I wanted dinners and roses, I'd go somewhere else."
"I guess."
He wasn't sure if she said that to ease him, or because it was the truth.
"We will win this battle, Akane, maybe not today, but tomorrow. Bigger freaks came here treating us; we are still here, aren't we?"
"Won't Rude be mad for spending your time with me and not him?" Akane changed the topic that grew heavy.
"Nah, he is probably in the female dressing room now, spying on Elena."
Akane was outraged, he started laughing.
"Just kidding, come on."
Air here was clean; it was quiet, so the high sound of steps rushing on corridors faded. He liked it. Sometimes he needed to be on his own in silence.
"Like someone made extra dough and spilled it in two molds. You guys are the same."
"Cut from the same cloth" he said, looking at the horizon.
"Wish I had that someone, I've never known such a relationship my entire life."
He was going to joke that he would replace Rude for a sandwich with extra filling, but even Reno wasn't that stupid not to know when a girl needed support.
"Shinra is a place, collecting many freaks. Like a freaking circus. People come here normally and get out farting rainbows."
"What the hell, mind your language!" She hit him on the shoulder.
"All of us have something to hold on in here. Or someone."
She was watching how red haired reached his open arm to her and she slowly placed hers in his palm.
"I don't wanna hurt you, Reno" she was watching everywhere but not at him. "I can't control what I am."
He bent toward her and told her something that made her blush.
"That was totally inappropriate!" scolded the girl.
His grin made her blush even more.
"Let's get back inside, it has become chilly."
He took off his black uniform and put it on her shoulders, it was obviously too large for her. Akane was surprised.
"This is so sweet."
He didn't say anything. Maybe girls used to find such things sweet. He felt the chill too and realized her hand wasn't in his anymore, nor her, place next to him was empty.
Reno was waking up with this dream often lately, laying in bed and replaying it in his head. It could end differently, maybe. Was it his fault she died? Would she live if he fell off the chopper and died that day? If they never met? If they left Sephiroth alive and he defeated Genesis?
"You need to stop with that." Rude told him one day, coming to pick him for work, Reno was still in bed. "It's changing you."
"I'm just tired, man…"
"Of life" Rude finished.
"Of being told everything is alright, since it's bloody NOT alright!" he got up, throwing his pillow somewhere with anger.
Rude was sitting there on his coffee table, then stood, put his shirt in his hands and pointed to the door.
"Get dressed up. Our shift started thirty minutes ago…"
"Fuck the shift…"
"Oh, no, I'm tired of watching you turn into a corpse because of guilt here. I'll drag you to the office if needed. If you want, stay like this, or get dressed and use those trunks to walk. We are leaving in five minutes, put yourself together because I'm taking you with me, like it or not.
Reno was walking after Rude in a bad mood. He even got his tie this time, tied on his forehead.
They were sent to inspect quadrant 4. Not much to see, suburbs, poor neighborhoods, dirty surroundings. Then asked some citizens of the latest events around, recorded the people's votes and was about to turn back to the base.
"It's not that bad, you see?" Rude was saying. "You love to mess up with citizens."
"How could I forget?"
"Nothing interesting to do since we don't have god-like creature around, but..."
"Look" Reno hit his partner who thought red haired was just nagging again.
Horizon was the color of red ochre and dust, just like at sunset. Problem was it was about eleven and half before noon. Shadow appeared in the sky, a wing with black feathers could be seen clearly.
"Did I say a month free of trouble?" Reno rushed his company taway. "I meant a decade. Godfreakingdamnit! Get to the chopper!"